Do the Tao

Verse 2: Living the Paradoxial Unity
Do the Tao today by noticing an opportunity to defend or explain yourself and choosing not to. Instead, turn with in and sense the texture of misunderstanding, feeling it all the way through your physical system. Just be with what is, instead of opting, ease it by tranversing the outer-world path of explaing and defending. Don't get caught up in the apparent duality of being right or wrong. Congratulate yourself for making a choice to be in the paradoxical unity of oneness where all of the spectrum simply is silenty apprecaite the opportunity along with your willingness to practice your sageness.


From Susie:
I had a situation at my job where my Dept. was emailed and asked to "volunteer" to cover the Front Reception Desk for our satellite office on Monday afternoon. My first "reaction" to this email was annoyed and frustration for what appears to be lack of management on my Boss' part. I wanted to scream at my Boss. "What are you crazy?, asking us to cover that office", "What is wrong with you?", "Don't you know how to manage the office and say "NO" to the person that asked for time off when we are short staffed".. and on and on and on...I took this very personal knowing that the other 3 people in my Dept would never "volunteer". THEN... The "Do the Tao" poppped into my head... I then sat on the email and didn't respond. I tossed around the Tao te Ching (2nd verse) and thought on how to not defend myself and try to not explain why I felt that we should not have to cover the other office. I truely felt I was right and she was wrong however I really wanted to "Do the Tao" and not get caught up in the "right and wrong" of the situation. Over the afternoon this became increasing harder to do, I started to steam and think of a way to "nicely" respond with out saying I would do it. I felt I was caught in the middle. I am always they one to "give in" and cover, but this time I wanted to stick to my guns and "show my boss" that she had made a mistake by allowing someone to have time off when there was no one else to cover the position. Again, showing I was right and she was wrong.
The long and short of the story is, I was NOT able to "Do the Tao" in this situation. In fact I did just the opposite I started to "vent" to co-workers and today at work I was very short tempered with many insurance company collection calls I was making. Normally I am very even tempered and try to understand they are doing "their job". Not today, I was very sarcastic and frustrated and down right rude to them..(knowing I could be as they were some faceless/nameless person on the other end of the phone, somewhere across the country). It seemed the harder I tried to "Do the Tao" the ruder I became. I carried this over from Tues into Wed. Is this awareness???? I feel that I give and give and give to my Boss, always "filling in" everytime and this time I wanted by co-workers to step up... I find that 2 days after we discussed this verse that I was not even close to "doing it"....

I'm going to keep "practicing" the "Do the Tao" this week and see if by Monday I can come up with a situation that I was able to "just be" and let it go and feel this sense and then congratulate myself...